The housing trap squeezing international students | The Business | ABC News

International students have become one of the targets of growing discontent about Australia's lack of affordable housing. The post-COVID surge in migrants — including overseas students — has been blamed for exacerbating the rental crisis. Housing is shaping up to be one of the key battlegrounds ahead of the federal election, and in August the government announced a key policy measure aiming to address it: a cap of 145,000 international students for public universities. Major universities are strongly opposed. After all, international students have made up a significant proportion of enrolments — half at some, like the University of Sydney — and a significant proportion of their income from their higher fees. The ABC understands the incoming legislation will incentivise universities to provide accommodation for students, by allowing them to exceed their allocated international student cap if they do so. Students coming to study in Australia from overseas have challenges accessing housing in both the private rental market and purpose-built developments, which face opposition from councils and neighbouring institutions. A report from the Property Council's student accommodation arm states international students make up just 4 per cent of the rental market, and therefore could not be blamed for the broader housing crisis. But the Education Department contests that and said it's likely closer to 7 per cent and higher in inner-city areas. And an investor slide presentation by Mirvac released in October showed overseas migrants are a strong driver of demand for housing, with students making up a sizeable portion of that population growth.
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